Litany of Dreams

Litany of Dreams is a horror novel set in the Arkham Horror universe; this was my first interaction with anything Arkham Horror related aside from it being on the periphery of basic knowledge. As such, I went into reading this novel somewhat blind to the wider-world and what the book ties-in with. Arkham Horror being both a co-operative board game and card game. I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that although this book does tie in with a much larger world, a lack of prior knowledge wasn’t in any way a hindrance to the enjoyment of the story within.

Litany of Dreams follows the story of Elliot Raslo, a young adult studying Psychology at the Miskatonic University, in his search for his missing roommate; Chester. His path crosses with Inuit, Billy Shiwak more questions about the missing students' research brings forth questions that lead the unlikely pair into dangers that neither of them was expecting.

I was hooked on reading Litany of Dreams from the moment I’d devoured my way through the prologue. This was a book, quite different, to all the others I’d read recently; offering a call back to my teenaged years of reading horror with an opening so spill-chillingly captivating that I knew, before the book had even truly begun, I was going to enjoy every, disturbing minute of it.

Thankfully, my intuition was right and there wasn’t a moment, or character, of this book that I disliked. Elliot Raslo is a character viewed with a great deal of sympathy as he struggled to cope with his missing friend and the ever-worsening chant pressing at the insides of his mind. There is a strength of conviction to his actions and he leads the investigation into his roommate’s disappearance with a manner of compassionate humanity that lacks conviction in his companions. While those along with him, Billy Shiwak the Inuit and Daisy Walker have their own reasoning for getting involved with finding missing student Chester, neither of their reasons are as hearth-felt as Elliots.

This isn’t to say that the characters surrounding Elliot are lacking in personality as this is far from the case. Billy Shiwak is a reckoning unto himself – his reasons vastly differ from Elliots – that brings a blunt-force to the problems that they all face while Daisy’s role as a librarian brings in a fresh perspective. As a group they all work well together offering alternate values to the reader, offering conflicting insights to solve the overall mysteries within Litany of Dreams.

The plot arc of Litany of Dreams is a straightforward ‘defeat the big-evil,’ but that doesn’t mean it’s dull! It has enough weight to it that keeps the reader going. As one section of the plot seems to close, giving the reader enough time to come up for air, only to be swept under another addition to the disasters that the group faces. Despite its fast pace the plot is clearly defined and well carried; there is enough dialogue between the characters to help explicate the more intricate plot elements.

Litany of Dreams is undeniably horror. There are nightmares within this book that are so expertly described they ran shivers down my spine and left that, strange, ‘this feels wrong’ imprint, strong on the mind well after putting the book down. Some of the scenes in this book, Elliot's personal nightmares, that will stay with me for months. There was a section of the book which was written around the Hockomock Swamp; that introduces us to the true horrors of the chant and these too were expertly crafted in the manner of their description and the elements they bring to the plot.

While I’d certainly bracket Litany of Dreams firmly in the horror department there was also an element of mystery involved. The main characters weren’t just thrust from one horrific situation to the next, they also had to figure what was going on for themselves. Their searches led to frustrating dead-ends and down the path of the red-herring which made their eventual discoveries feel all the more satisfying.

There are aspects of an older world, one of Gods, and other less-savoury beings of power, that lurk just beyond the surface in Litany of Dreams. This is something that I feel is just starting off in the novel and would love to see it explored with these characters further down the line. One of the characters to be introduced later on in the novel, Lafayette-Moses, was deeply captivating and held an air-of-mystery all of his own. Seeing him developed further in any of the possible directions he could take, would be nothing short of a pleasure to read.

As I don’t have other points of reference with other Arkham Horror novels, I don’t know how Litany of Dreams compares to the overall ethos of the world-setting. As an introduction to the Arkham Horror universe, I found it easy to pick up and engage with. There were enough threads left at the conclusion of the book that suggests there might be more in this series involving Elliot Raslo and I would be more than happy to read any further adventures involving him and the Arkham Setting – of which I am already looking to discover more of now that I have been given such a fine first encounter.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aconyte Books for this ARC!

Rating: 4.5/5

Litany of Dreams by Ari Marmell was the first Arkham horror novel that I have read but it will not be the last!

In this book we follow Elliot, a Psychology student at Miskatonic University, who is on a mission to find his missing roommate, Chester. Along with Billy and Daisy, together they are trying to unlock the mysteries around Chester’s disappearances while trying to survive the dangers that surround them. The pacing of this book was perfect and kept me on my toes the entire time, filling me with nerves and actually scaring me at certain points. This is truly a horror book but the intertwined mystery added a delicious change to your typical horror story. I want to say more about the plot of this book because there was so much that I enjoyed but one of the best things about this book is unveiling its mysteries while you read it.

Elliot, Billy, and Daisy each bring something different but essential to this story that I just loved learning more about them. Usually when I read a book, there is always a character or two that I just do not like but I really enjoyed these main characters. As you are reading this book, you will feel a lot of sympathy for Elliot as he is obviously affected by his missing friend as well as suffering from the never-ending chanting that he hears in his head. This chanting is torturing poor Elliot slowly. Then there is Billy and Daisy; who are there to help Elliot with his mission but maybe not for the best reasons. Each character adds such a different perspective to the story and their perspectives were never dull.

If you love horror, mystery, or both, check out this book. You do not need to have previous knowledge or experience with Arkham horror to enjoy this story.

#LitanyofDreams #NetGalley

Wow!!!!! What a mind-bending book, it really subverted stereotypes in fascinating ways, and the writing style was very unique. I really enjoyed this, and could not guess the plot twists at all

"Dark incantations expose the minds of Miskatonic University students to supernatural horrors, in this chilling mystery novel of Arkham Horror.

The mysterious disappearance of a gifted student at Miskatonic University spurs his troubled roommate, Elliot Raslo, into an investigation of his own. But Elliot already struggles against the maddening allure of a ceaseless chant that only he can hear...When Elliot’s search converges with that of a Greenland Inuk’s hunt for a stolen relic, they are left with yet more questions. Could there be a connection between Elliot’s litany and the broken stone stele covered in antediluvian writings that had obsessed his friend? Learning the answers will draw them into the heart of a devilish plot to rebirth an ancient horror."

If like me you always thought that Miskatonic University was always the best part of Lovecraft, this book is for you!

Such an amazing take on some very H.P. Lovecraft inspired horror. This book had me hooked right from the start and I absolutely could not put it down until I finished it.

If you love horror, mystery, or both, check out this book. It was an enjoyable journey from start to finish with enough twists and turns to keep me hooked.

Litany of Dreams (Arkham Horror #19) by Ari Marmell was quite the pleasant surprise. I've never played the Arkham Horror board game these novels and novellas are based on and I've never read any of those other stories either, but I absolutely loved this. I think it might make the cut to be on my best of 2021 list actually. It hooked my attention right off the bat and I enjoyed everything about it from the cast of characters, the dark historical fantasy 1920s setting, the core mystery, and the chilling horror. I have no idea how this compares to the games and other books set in this world, but I certainly want to find out.

I am a big fan of the Arkham Horror game, and the other games in that universe, and Litany of Dreams is exactly what I want from a story set in that world. The story was propulsive, quite scary at times, and filled with memorable characters. You also do not need any knowledge of the games to read this book, something that will open the story up for more readers. An incredibly fun ride, and it makes me excited to read more books from this universe.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Litany of Dreams was a fun pulpy cthulhu adventure with the right level of "horror" that will keep anyone on their toes.

An engaging and immersive horror novel set in the Arkham Universe. I found the story enjoyable and quick to read. Fans of horror and mystery will be satisfied with the story and the conclusion.

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I have been provided with an advance copy of the new Arkham Horror book Litany of Dreams by Ari Marmell, published by Aconyte Books, so here is the honest review I promised in exchange for the book.

So here is an important disclaimer which is always important to put out there first. I have a casual work contact with Asmodee to demonstrate board games for them in stores and at conventions. Asmodee being the parent company of Aconyte the publisher.

I am going to try my best to not let that cloud my judgement in this review, but I accept that subconsciously it might.

What is Arkham Horror
Anyway that put to one side, let’s look at this book, by first looking at the game Arkham Horror which is a cooperative game, originally designed by Richard Launius, and is now in its third edition which was released in 2019.

It’s published by Fantasy Flight Games, a subsidiary of Asmodee, and is set in 1926 in the town of Arkham, Massachusetts. Each player takes on the role of an investigator, who are working to stop the Ancient Ones, eldritch horrors which lurk in the void beyond space and time.

It’s a 1-6 player game and you work together to gather clues and defeat the evil of the Ancient Ones and save the world.

As I said I haven’t actually played Arkham Horror but I do own its spin off Elder Sign the cooperative dice game.

The Story
Like the rest of the Arkham Horror novels, its set in the 1920s and in this case revolves around the disappearance of a gifted young student at Miskatonic University as his roommate searches high and low in his friends research for clues to his disappearance, and at the same time struggles against a litany that’s ceaseless in his mind and threatening to drive him into insanity.

The search takes on a new twist when an Inuit search for a stolen relic of his people crosses paths with him, and they find themselves joining forces to get to the bottom of the mystery and unearth a terrifying and ancient horror.

We get to delve a bit deeper into the lore of the Cthulhu mythos in this book than any of the others so far, and we have a very well rounded plot with characters with various motivations joining forces to prevent an apocalyptic event overtaking the world.

Mostly focusing on Elliot and Billy, the story is almost a mismatched buddy novel, crossed with mild horror and a bit of pulp detective thrown in for good measure.

Conclusion
The book was a very enjoyable read and a real page turner, the two main protagonists were very well developed and had just enough of a backstory to keep you interested, but without delving into too much. The motivation of Elliot, felt a little obvious, but when revealed is still highly dramatic and heartbreaking.

Billy seemed a little, well not obvious as to his background, its talked about a lot, the racism he experiences is subtle and all the more awful for that, but his background didn’t come through enough for me, I would have liked to have had this explored a bit more, but he was a very cool character.

Now I do have a negative thing to say, and that is that the female characters felt a tad underserved, we have two, strong and dynamic women in this book, and I felt that none of them got the service they deserved.

The main female character ups and leaves the group in the last quarter of the book and isn’t heard from again, so we have no idea how the events impacted her, or how she dealt with what happened. She didn’t even get in the epilogue and for me that wasn’t good at all.

The other main female character meets a tragic end, and it makes sense for her, what happens to her in the story makes what happens to her in the end seem logical, but with the dropping of the other character from the plot, I dunno, it just didn’t feel the same after I put the book down.

But regardless of this annoyance for me, the book was highly enjoyable and one I read in what felt like record time. The horror is initially slow and building, until the middle of the book when it becomes very real, some of it being almost post-apocalyptic in nature, and some feeling all too close to how things are in the world right now.

Would I recommend this book, yes, absolutely, its a solid 4.5 out of 5 for me, and to be honest had the epilogue resolved that one characters story arc, it would have been a 5.

The eBook is released on the 13th April and the paperback hits the shelves on 24th June.

So I honestly picked this book up only because of the cover. I had no idea what Arkham horror was (batman was my best guess - its not batman).

With that being said I actually enjoyed this. Its Lovecraftian horror, so not really scary but a lot of screwing with peoples brains and a little bit of body horror. The mystery aspect of the story makes it a really engaging yet quick read.

I was shocked to discover indigenous rep in this story. I don't know how good the rep was because I'm not indigenous but I didn't find it obviously problematic. Please read own voices reviews.

Recommend if this sounds like your thing.

Surprising no one at this point, this was yet another good read in the Arkham Horror book series launched by Aconyte Books.
All of these are standalone from each other, only sharing the setting and some background characters that may or may not make cameos between books so it’s easy to hop around between whichever sounds most interesting to you.

Forbidden tomes, eldritch monsters, insidious magic and ancient gods abound in this sometimes eerie historic adventure. The reader will spend nearly equal amounts of time in the familiar foggy streets of Arkham as well as newly introduced Hockomock swamp. The Great Old One and its malediction that our crew has to stop was inventive and suitably gruesome - great work by the author! And the prologue was honestly so good that it could have been a standalone short story, but thankfully we also have a wonderful novel to follow.
The characters that form our investigative crew all have their own reasons for searching for the source of the litany that plagues Arkham and the surrounding environs, and all bring their own skill sets and worldview in how they approach their problems. You really feel for our main character Elliot especially - he is forever changed by the end of the book, and sacrifices so much to try and save his missing friend.
There’s some loose ends that can be further explored should the publisher wish to continue this story, which I really hope they do!

Another great read for fans of both Arkham Horror and Lovecraftian dark fantasy.

My thanks to Aconyte Books for my review copy.